RAWALPINDI: Two soldiers of the Pakistan Army were martyred in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) that also resulted in the killing of a “high-value terrorist” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Buner district on Saturday.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that security forces conducted the IBO upon receiving intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists, leading to the elimination of a terrorist and ring leader Saleem, also known as “Rabbani,” while two other militants sustained injuries during the firefight.
According to the military’s media wing, Rabbani, who had a bounty of Rs5 million on his head, was involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces, as well as extortion and the targeting of innocent civilians.
The martyred soldiers were identified as Lance Havildar Mudassar Mehmood (aged 36, from Rawalpindi district) and Lance Naik Haseeb Javed (aged 27, from Poonch district, AJ&K).
Havildar Mudassar and Lance Naik Haseeb had served in the Pakistan Army for 16 and five years, respectively. Lance Naik Haseeb is survived by his parents, widow, and daughter.
As the sanitization operation continues to eliminate any other terrorists in the area, the security forces have reiterated their commitment to eradicate terrorism.
Pakistan has seen a significant increase in terrorist incidents in recent months, with KP and Balochistan accounting for over 92% of all fatalities and 86% of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security force operations, during the first quarter (Q1) of 2024.
These figures were cited in the Q1 2024 Security Report released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) earlier this month.
According to the report, Pakistan recorded 432 violence-related fatalities and 370 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws due to 245 terror attacks and counter-terror operations. This included 281 fatalities among civilians and security forces personnel.
KP accounted for 51% and Balochistan 41% of all fatalities in Q1, 2024. The data indicated that the remaining regions experienced less than 8% of all fatalities and were relatively peaceful.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)